Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba, the former governor of the state of Tamaulipas, is accused of laundering drug or other illicit proceeds in properties in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley.

Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba, the former governor of the state of Tamaulipas, is accused of laundering drug or other illicit proceeds in properties in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley.

Photo: Courtesy Photo

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In this 2001 photo, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry (right) and then-Tamaulipas Gov. Tomás Yarrington laugh as they listen to a speech by Fernando Canales Clariond, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

In this 2001 photo, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry (right) and then-Tamaulipas Gov. Tomás Yarrington laugh as they listen to a speech by Fernando Canales Clariond, governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News File Photo

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Then-Texas Governor George W. Bush shakes hands with the Tomás Yarrington (left), then governor of Tamaulipas, as then-Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo looks on at cereonies inaugurating the new World Trade Bridge connecting Laredo and Nuevo Laredo in this file photo less

Then-Texas Governor George W. Bush shakes hands with the Tomás Yarrington (left), then governor of Tamaulipas, as then-Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo looks on at cereonies inaugurating the new World Trade ... more

Photo: San Antonio Express-News File Photo

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In this 2001 photo, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry answers questions following a news conference held with Tomás Yarrington (left), then governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and then-Texas Secretary of State Henry Cuellar at the Governor's Mansion, where the governors discussed boosting cross-border trade. less

In this 2001 photo, then-Texas Gov. Rick Perry answers questions following a news conference held with Tomás Yarrington (left), then governor of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and then-Texas Secretary of ... more

Photo: Associated Press File Photo

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Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba.

Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba.

Photo: Courtesy Photo

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FILE - A condominium belonging to former state of Tamulipas governor, Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba is seen in Port Isabel, Texas Thursday Dec. 5,2013.

FILE - A condominium belonging to former state of Tamulipas governor, Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba is seen in Port Isabel, Texas Thursday Dec. 5,2013.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News File Photo

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Photos of inside of a condo at 334 Padre Blvd., unit 1401, in South Padre Island that federal agents allege was bought by former Tamaulipas Gov. Tomas Yarrington.

Photos of inside of a condo at 334 Padre Blvd., unit 1401, in South Padre Island that federal agents allege was bought by former Tamaulipas Gov. Tomas Yarrington.

Photo: Courtesy Photo

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Photos of inside of a condo at 334 Padre Blvd., unit 1401, in South Padre Island that federal agents allege was bought by former Tamaulipas Gov. Tomas Yarrington.

Photos of inside of a condo at 334 Padre Blvd., unit 1401, in South Padre Island that federal agents allege was bought by former Tamaulipas Gov. Tomas Yarrington.

Photo: Courtesy Photo

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FILE - The back boat loading section of a condominium belonging to former state of Tamulipas governor, Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba is seen in Port Isabel, Texas Thursday Dec.5,2013.

FILE - The back boat loading section of a condominium belonging to former state of Tamulipas governor, Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba is seen in Port Isabel, Texas Thursday Dec.5,2013.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News File Photo

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FILE - Tamaulipas governor Thomas Yarrington Rubencalva (middle) looks at the aftermath of a gas explosion that leveled 3 building killing 8 and injuring many in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.

FILE - Tamaulipas governor Thomas Yarrington Rubencalva (middle) looks at the aftermath of a gas explosion that leveled 3 building killing 8 and injuring many in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.

Photo: San Antonio Expres-News File Photo

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>> Click the gallery to see the cartels that are running Mexico, according to data obtained by Animal Politico.

>> Click the gallery to see the cartels that are running Mexico, according to data obtained by Animal Politico.

Photo: El Blog Del Narco

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9. Zetas

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 6

9. Zetas

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 6

Photo: Julio Cesar Aguilar, Getty Images, AFP

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A young girl, second from left, an alleged member of "Los Zetas" drug cartel, is presented to the press by police in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, on Aug. 6, 2011. The girl was arrested with other alleged members of Los Zetas after a skirmish with Mexican police. less

A young girl, second from left, an alleged member of "Los Zetas" drug cartel, is presented to the press by police in Guadalajara, Jalisco State, on Aug. 6, 2011. The girl was arrested with other alleged members ... more

Photo: HECTOR GUERRERO, Getty Images

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8. Juarez

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 1

8. Juarez

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 1

Photo: El Blog Del Narco

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El Paso

The Juarez Cartel has a major claim on this territory with the Sinaloa Cartel representing close to half of the DEA cases there. A smaller portion goes to Los Zetas.

El Paso

The Juarez Cartel has a major claim on this territory with the Sinaloa Cartel representing close to half of the DEA cases there. A smaller portion goes to Los Zetas.

Photo: Getty

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7. Tijuana

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 1

7. Tijuana

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 1

Photo: 2008 AFP

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Brothers Ismael, known as “El Mayel,” and Gilberto Higuera Guerrero (pictured), called “Gilillo,” former top lieutenants in the Tijuana Cartel. Both were extradited in 2007 and convicted on racketeering and drug trafficking charges, including the kidnapping and murder of rivals; Ismael got 40 years in federal prison and Gilberto, 30. less

Brothers Ismael, known as “El Mayel,” and Gilberto Higuera Guerrero (pictured), called “Gilillo,” former top lieutenants in the Tijuana Cartel. Both were extradited in 2007 and convicted on racketeering ... more

Photo: File Photo

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6. Knights Templar or Caballeros Templarios

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 9

6. Knights Templar or Caballeros Templarios

States with presence in 2016: 1

States with presence in 2014: 9

Photo: ALFREDO ESTRELLA, AFP/Getty Images

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A soldier patrols near a temple allegedly built by the drug cartel "Caballeros Templarios," or Knights Templar in 2012, that shows signs of vandalism allegedly left by the Zetas drug cartel near the town of Cueramato in Michoacan state, Mexico. Knights Templar, a quasi-religious drug cartel that controls the area and most of the state, monitors the movements of the military and police around the clock. The gang's members not only live off methamphetamine and marijuana smuggling and extortion, they maintain country roads, control the local economy and act as private debt collectors for citizens frustrated with the courts, soldiers say. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini) less

A soldier patrols near a temple allegedly built by the drug cartel "Caballeros Templarios," or Knights Templar in 2012, that shows signs of vandalism allegedly left by the Zetas drug cartel near the town of ... more

Photo: Alexandre Meneghini, ASSOCIATED PRESS

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5. Cartel del Golfo

States with presence in 2016: 2

States with presence in 2014: 2

5. Cartel del Golfo

States with presence in 2016: 2

States with presence in 2014: 2

Photo: ALFREDO ESTRELLA, AFP/Getty Images

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The Gulf Cartel nowadays is often known simply by the initials CDG, an Acronym for the Spanish, Cartel del Golfo. The letters have been painted on vehicles and walls as warnings to enemies. In this photo taken Nov. 19, 2010, initials of the Gulf Cartel and a heart cover a wall at the entrance to an abandoned low-income housing complex in Ciudad Mier, Mexico. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills) less

The Gulf Cartel nowadays is often known simply by the initials CDG, an Acronym for the Spanish, Cartel del Golfo. The letters have been painted on vehicles and walls as warnings to enemies. In this photo taken ... more

Photo: Dario Lopez-Mills, AP

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4. La Familia Michoacana

States with presence in 2016: 3

States with presence in 2014: 4

4. La Familia Michoacana

States with presence in 2016: 3

States with presence in 2014: 4

Photo: ALFREDO ESTRELLA, AFP/Getty Images

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La Familia Michoacana reportedly forced recruits to eat victims' hearts to prove their loyalty. More than 40 members were arrested on April 19, 2009. The cartel was later disbanded. Source: Daily Mail

La Familia Michoacana reportedly forced recruits to eat victims' hearts to prove their loyalty. More than 40 members were arrested on April 19, 2009. The cartel was later disbanded. Source: Daily Mail

Photo: YURI CORTEZ, AFP/Getty Images

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3. Beltran Leyva

States with presence in 2016: 6

States with presence in 2014: 6

3. Beltran Leyva

States with presence in 2016: 6

States with presence in 2014: 6

Photo: ALFREDO ESTRELLA, Staff / AFP/Getty Images

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This photo taken Oct. 20, 2008, shows the house where 15 members of the Beltran Leyva brothers cartel were arrested, in Alvaro Obregon district, Mexico City.

This photo taken Oct. 20, 2008, shows the house where 15 members of the Beltran Leyva brothers cartel were arrested, in Alvaro Obregon district, Mexico City.

Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT, Getty Images

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2. Pacifico

States with presence in 2016: 7

States with presence in 2014: 6

2. Pacifico

States with presence in 2016: 7

States with presence in 2014: 6

Photo: 2008 AFP

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Mexican journalists protest against violence towards journalists in Mexico placing on the ground pictures of murdered journalists, on Aug. 7, 2010, in Mexico City. The protest was triggered by the abduction of four journalists by the Pacifico drug cartel to demand that television stations broadcast a video linking the Durango state government to a rival drug gang on July 26. More than 60 journalists have been killed in Mexico during the last decade, many of them by drug traffickers. AFP PHOTO/Ronaldo Schemidt (Photo credit should read Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images)

Mexican journalists protest against violence towards journalists in Mexico placing on the ground pictures of murdered journalists, on Aug. 7, 2010, in Mexico City. The protest was triggered by the abduction of

Jalisco New Generation Cartel also goes by the name “Mata Zetas,” which translates to “Kill Zetas,” referring to the notorious Mexican cartel Los Zetas.

Jalisco New Generation Cartel also goes by the name “Mata Zetas,” which translates to “Kill Zetas,” referring to the notorious Mexican cartel Los Zetas.

Photo: Video Screenshot Via Wikimedia Commons

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Yarrington, former Mexican governor, has been extradited from Italy to Texas

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A former Mexican governor has been extradited from Italy to Texas to face several federal charges including drug trafficking and money laundering, U.S. officials announced late Friday.

Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba, 61, who was arrested in Italy last year, was handed over to U.S. authorities Friday morning in Italy and arrived in Houston on Friday afternoon. Yarrington, who served as governor of the state of Tamaulipas from 1999 to 2005, was sought for several years in Texas, where he’s accused of laundering drug or other illicit proceeds in properties in San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley.

In 2012, a federal grand jury in Brownsville indicted Yarrington on charges of drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, racketeering and bank fraud. In an indictment against Yarrington and Mexican businessman Fernando Alejandro Cano Martínez, 61, prosecutors allege that Yarrington used the Tamaulipas state police force to collect bribes from drug traffickers, took kickbacks from state contractors and eventually laundered millions of dollars in Texas through real estate purchases.

In 2007, Yarrington negotiated a truce between the Tamaulipas-based Gulf Cartel and the rival Beltran Leyva smuggling organization to use a seaport in the neighboring state of Veracruz, according to the indictment. In exchange, prosecutors allege, Yarrington received a percentage of each load of cocaine snuggled through the port.

As part of that case, prosecutors seized an airplane and real estate across Texas, including a South Padre Island condo held in the name of a campaign worker and houses in Kyle and McAllen that were in the name of his girlfriend, Sindy Chapa, a former Texas State University professor.

Prosecutors also alleged that dirty money from Tamaulipas was laundered through the purchase of 46 acres of undeveloped land on La Cantera Parkway in San Antonio, near Six Flags, but they eventually reached a settlement with the owner to sell the property and take only $1 million.

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The Yarrington matter is part of a joint investigation between several federal agencies and prosecutors in the Western District of Texas, which includes San Antonio and West Texas, and the Houston-based Southern District of Texas, which stretches to the Rio Grande Valley.

“HSI aggressively pursues transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the U.S. national security, to include corrupt public officials who use their position and influence to further the illicit activity,” said Shane Holden, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio. “HSI is committed to upholding the rule of law and investigating those involved in criminal activity and bringing the illicit gains of these crimes to the U.S.”

Despite reports that he was living in Mexico, Yarrington remained a fugitive for years, prompting some members of Texas’ congressional delegation to demand that the Obama administration pressure Mexico for the former governor’s extradition. In 2016, Mexico announced that it was offering a 15 million peso reward, about $800,000, for his arrest on charges that had been filed in 2012.

Yarrington is scheduled for an initial court appearance Monday afternoon in federal court in Brownsville, U.S. officials said.

“The extradition of former Tamaulipas Governor Tomás Yarrington comes as no small feat; it has come after years of hard work and dedication by the Department of Justice, the Department of State, and the international community, in their relentless dogged pursuit of those engaged in narco-trafficking,” U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela√, D-Brownsville, said in a statement Friday. “I commend the Department of Justice, the Department of State, and the international community on the extradition, and I look forward to seeing Mr. Yarrington’s case resolved in the United States courts. Let it be known that absolutely no one is above the law, and the United States must continue to ensure that justice is served.”

According to a news release from Italian police last year, officials there acting on information from the U.S. Homeland Security Department and Interpol located Yarrington in the town of Paola on the Tyrrhenian Sea, where he’d apparently been living for several months under a false name. Italian police followed him to Florence, where they arrested the former governor near the city’s historic center.

Tamaulipas’ current governor, Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, said in a statement that Yarrington “will be finally presented to the courts to answer for the crimes committed against the Tamaulipas residents.

“We trust that this case will become an exemplary precedent so situations like this do not happen again in states like ours, which until now suffer the consequences of the complicity of governments with organized crime,” García said. “For its part, the Government of Tamaulipas endorses its unwavering commitment to continue fighting corruption and impunity that have so damaged the finances of the State and the safety of the resident families of Tamaulipas.”